What do you think?
Rate this book
Exodus Sequence #2
Reflected
An alternate cover edition can be found here and here and here.
A dead woman witnesses an alien invasion on Mars in a bizarre afterlife.
Jennifer Reed finds herself in a post-death installation where she is encouraged to “go through.” Unaware of the installation’s purpose, she escapes – just as the world is invaded. With no knowledge of what is happening or why, she connects with a rebel who recognises her as Miranda, a past-life incarnation guilty of betrayal. While her dream-like perceptions increase, her comprehension remains zero. Is she doomed to repeat the imprisonment of the reincarnation cycle?
Extract: “No one dies. Haven’t you figured that out yet?”
She touched her face. Was it still Thursday? “I thought I was old,” she said.
“You were old when your body died.”
“Isn’t this my body?”
The Exodus Sequence: Each novelette in the Exodus Sequence is a standalone story. They don’t have to be read in order. They are not in any way connected like chapters in a book. They vary in style and character, time and place. However, the mystery unfolds as the sequence progresses, hence the numbering. To follow this unfolding, the sequence is best read in order.
A novelette is, by definition, longer than a short story but not as long as a novella.
A dead woman witnesses an alien invasion on Mars in a bizarre afterlife.
Jennifer Reed finds herself in a post-death installation where she is encouraged to “go through.” Unaware of the installation’s purpose, she escapes – just as the world is invaded. With no knowledge of what is happening or why, she connects with a rebel who recognises her as Miranda, a past-life incarnation guilty of betrayal. While her dream-like perceptions increase, her comprehension remains zero. Is she doomed to repeat the imprisonment of the reincarnation cycle?
Extract: “No one dies. Haven’t you figured that out yet?”
She touched her face. Was it still Thursday? “I thought I was old,” she said.
“You were old when your body died.”
“Isn’t this my body?”
The Exodus Sequence: Each novelette in the Exodus Sequence is a standalone story. They don’t have to be read in order. They are not in any way connected like chapters in a book. They vary in style and character, time and place. However, the mystery unfolds as the sequence progresses, hence the numbering. To follow this unfolding, the sequence is best read in order.
A novelette is, by definition, longer than a short story but not as long as a novella.
49 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 1, 2020
1 person want to read
About the author
Susannah J. Bell
25 books28 followersSusannah J. Bell is a writer of science fiction and other strange and surreal works. She was born in London but grew up in South Africa, escaping when she was twenty to be a writer. Not able to find much success in London, she dreamed of living in other parts of the world: the Scottish Highlands, New York, Mars, but never got much further than travel guides. Nowadays, she would like to live in a tower in a forest and dreams of travelling to the fantastical worlds of her imagination. Her writing has taken her from the familiar landscapes of Mars and Io and Titan, to worlds far beyond ours, even to the edge of the galaxy. She has explored other dimensions, realms, and space beyond. Within her writing, she explores different styles, voices and concepts, always returning to the theme that fascinates her the most: immortality. She has published several series such as The Fleet Quintet and The Exodus Sequence, and is working on a new series of novels, as well as a large literary work, more Exodus Sequence stories, and biographical short stories. She hopes one day to complete the fifth Fleet novel. She loves the sound of falling water, is passionate about trees, and is happiest when writing. She still lives in London.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 14, 2016
This review contains potential plot-spoilers and explanations that would make more sense if read AFTER you’ve read the novelette!
REFLECTED was an experiment in obfuscation. My heroine goes through the entire story without having any idea what is going on and neither, I have to presume, does the reader. It was quite delicious to write! A monumental event takes place on what one can only presume is Mars and is witnessed by Jennifer Reed (although we can’t be sure this is her name.) This event, an invasion, has repercussions throughout the rest of the Exodus Sequence – the first volume and the still-to-be written second. But in this entry of the sequence, the invasion is less important than the identity of Jennifer Reed. When she connects with one of the aliens, he identifies her as Miranda, a character whose background role will be immense in the remainder of the sequence. This alien – whose name we never learn – is the same as the one in WIRED, though the order of events are not yet clear. This is, after all, only the second in the Exodus Sequence: by the time you get to the end, much of the smokescreens will have cleared.
The story opens with a ticking clock – having struggled to sleep (or, at least, remain asleep) half my life, that ticking clock is possibly the most annoying sound in the entire universe. I thought it a most appropriate noise to signify death. And if you understand that Jennifer is dead, the story may resonate more.
What I enjoyed most about writing this story was Jennifer’s first experiments with time, space and reading other characters. My most-loved scene is the one where glass rains through her. It may be mystifying but I wanted the story to be nothing less than beautiful.
This is one of my favourite Exodus stories but I’m conscious that my experimentation might have gone too far, hence I’ve been particularly cruel to myself and only given it three stars. One day, perhaps, I’ll find out what readers really think!
REFLECTED was an experiment in obfuscation. My heroine goes through the entire story without having any idea what is going on and neither, I have to presume, does the reader. It was quite delicious to write! A monumental event takes place on what one can only presume is Mars and is witnessed by Jennifer Reed (although we can’t be sure this is her name.) This event, an invasion, has repercussions throughout the rest of the Exodus Sequence – the first volume and the still-to-be written second. But in this entry of the sequence, the invasion is less important than the identity of Jennifer Reed. When she connects with one of the aliens, he identifies her as Miranda, a character whose background role will be immense in the remainder of the sequence. This alien – whose name we never learn – is the same as the one in WIRED, though the order of events are not yet clear. This is, after all, only the second in the Exodus Sequence: by the time you get to the end, much of the smokescreens will have cleared.
The story opens with a ticking clock – having struggled to sleep (or, at least, remain asleep) half my life, that ticking clock is possibly the most annoying sound in the entire universe. I thought it a most appropriate noise to signify death. And if you understand that Jennifer is dead, the story may resonate more.
What I enjoyed most about writing this story was Jennifer’s first experiments with time, space and reading other characters. My most-loved scene is the one where glass rains through her. It may be mystifying but I wanted the story to be nothing less than beautiful.
This is one of my favourite Exodus stories but I’m conscious that my experimentation might have gone too far, hence I’ve been particularly cruel to myself and only given it three stars. One day, perhaps, I’ll find out what readers really think!
August 22, 2016
This review contains potential plot-spoilers and explanations that would make more sense if read AFTER you’ve read the novelette!
REFLECTED was an experiment in obfuscation. My heroine goes through the entire story without having any idea what is going on and neither, I have to presume, does the reader. It was quite delicious to write! A monumental event takes place on what one can only presume is Mars and is witnessed by Jennifer Reed (although we can’t be sure this is her name.) This event, an invasion, has repercussions throughout the rest of the Exodus Sequence – the first volume and the still-to-be written second. But in this entry of the sequence, the invasion is less important than the identity of Jennifer Reed. When she connects with one of the aliens, he identifies her as Miranda, a character whose background role will be immense in the remainder of the sequence. This alien – whose name we never learn – is the same as the one in WIRED, though the order of events are not yet clear. This is, after all, only the second in the Exodus Sequence: by the time you get to the end, much of the smokescreens will have cleared.
The story opens with a ticking clock – having struggled to sleep (or, at least, remain asleep) half my life, that ticking clock is possibly the most annoying sound in the entire universe. I thought it a most appropriate noise to signify death. And if you understand that Jennifer is dead, the story may resonate more.
What I enjoyed most about writing this story was Jennifer’s first experiments with time, space and reading other characters. My most-loved scene is the one where glass rains through her. It may be mystifying but I wanted the story to be nothing less than beautiful.
This is one of my favourite Exodus stories but I’m conscious that my experimentation might have gone too far, hence I’ve been particularly cruel to myself and only given it three stars. One day, perhaps, I’ll find out what readers really think!
REFLECTED was an experiment in obfuscation. My heroine goes through the entire story without having any idea what is going on and neither, I have to presume, does the reader. It was quite delicious to write! A monumental event takes place on what one can only presume is Mars and is witnessed by Jennifer Reed (although we can’t be sure this is her name.) This event, an invasion, has repercussions throughout the rest of the Exodus Sequence – the first volume and the still-to-be written second. But in this entry of the sequence, the invasion is less important than the identity of Jennifer Reed. When she connects with one of the aliens, he identifies her as Miranda, a character whose background role will be immense in the remainder of the sequence. This alien – whose name we never learn – is the same as the one in WIRED, though the order of events are not yet clear. This is, after all, only the second in the Exodus Sequence: by the time you get to the end, much of the smokescreens will have cleared.
The story opens with a ticking clock – having struggled to sleep (or, at least, remain asleep) half my life, that ticking clock is possibly the most annoying sound in the entire universe. I thought it a most appropriate noise to signify death. And if you understand that Jennifer is dead, the story may resonate more.
What I enjoyed most about writing this story was Jennifer’s first experiments with time, space and reading other characters. My most-loved scene is the one where glass rains through her. It may be mystifying but I wanted the story to be nothing less than beautiful.
This is one of my favourite Exodus stories but I’m conscious that my experimentation might have gone too far, hence I’ve been particularly cruel to myself and only given it three stars. One day, perhaps, I’ll find out what readers really think!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews